Windsurfer wanting to start Kitesurfing, WA

Hey guys,

I'm a long time windsurfer in Perth, looking to start kite surfing this summer. I love windsurfing, but the feeling is that the conditions in Perth have been going downhill for a few years with less consistent summer breezes (for low, surface wind), which are a problem as I can't make it to the water quickly, or as often as I'd like. Which means a lot of the time I'll get to the water and the wind is gutless, or seems to die down by about 4-5pm.

I'm looking into possibly getting some lessons, as well as aiming at getting a board, kite, and any other accessories that I might require.

- I've got a decent harness, so would it be possible to replace or reverse the bar for kite surfing?
- I've been told in passing about newer kites having some form of automatic power adjustment/gust letoff that makes life a lot easier? Not sure if it's intrinsic to the design or the line setup, but if someone could enlighten me it'd be a big help :) As well as what brands and how old a generation of kite I should be looking at.
- I've looked at some of the deals for new equipment, but I'm a fan of buying second-hand rather than new as I can focus more on having fun, than chronically worrying about damaging equipment :)

Hi Ben, I windsurfed for 30 years before getting into kiting this year. I bought new gear after lessons and havnt damaged anything yet despite some big stacks. Well 1 set of control lines had some abrasion, so replaced them out of safety concerns.
My windsurfing harness is fine for kiting. It's a Naish waist harness.
Been going out in 30+ knots this week on the kite which is skittle scary, but very manageable.

I took the wave board and a 4.5 out one afternoon instead of the kite and I couldn't believe how ordinary it felt after the kite. The board felt huge, slow and difficult to turn and the sail lifeless and lacked freedom. Kiting is turbocharged wind surfing. The windsurfer did feel incredibly safe and drama free compared to kiting though.

So my advice is to take your time on the learning journey, take as many lessons as you need to feel confident going out on your own, and think safety in a systematic way, right from the start.

Enjoy!

I crossed over years ago and all my poleboarding gear sat around the side of the house and deteriated.
Tip: Get rid of it now while it's still woth something!

Yes, it's hard to let go of the windsurfing, but after a while I knew I'd never go go back - and haven't. As Dave said, Freedom

Enjoy the transition

Thanks for the posts guys :) I used to be elitist about windsurfing, but it looks as though kitesurfing has come a LONG way in the last 10 years. The sport really seems to have matured.

I aim to get a few lessons in handling kites, then probably work out the rest myself. I gather learning in pairs is a good idea? Due to launching/recovery.

I made the transition a bit over 2 years ago after sailboarding forever. I only had the one lesson and then self taught. I had problems retraining my brain that I wasn't on a sailboard. My hints are - twin tips don't have big fins at the back, make sure you edge the board and lean back to stop face planting. When you are learning to start, if you start to fall backwards let out the bar fall back in the water and start again. I would often start pulling down on the rear of the bar to try to pull myself back on the board. This works on a sailboard. On a kiteboard you rip the kite through the power zone and do a superman impression. When it eventually comes together it feels quite unnatural not having 2 meters off board in front.
On bigger days I often think it would be nice having the old waveboard. Here on the east coast that doesn't happen very often. It is more than made up on those marginal days when your still planing and all the wave boards are just plodding along.
Good luck and don't give up. If an old fart like me can make the transition any one can.

I have windsurfed for 30 years and kited for about 10. When I first started kiting I had 1 kite which replaced my large sails which had become a bit mundane. The buzz I got from kiting brought back the full on passion I had once had for sailboarding.

Initially I would still windsurf when the wind was really blowing and I could use a wave board with a 5m or smaller. I would kite at all other times. Once my Kiting experience grew I got some smaller kites and now only windsurf when the wind is offshore at home or in gusty westerlies.

I kept all my windsurfing gear because it was worth nothing secondhand. I now probably kite 4 or 5 times a week during daylight saving and Only windsurf about 4 or 5 times in a whole year...